Retort



June 9, 1 925. 1,541,405

B. H. SMITH REIORT Filbd May 15, 1925 FIG] IN V N TOR BENJAMIN H. SM! TH ATTORNEY Patented June 9, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMTN B. SMITH, 0]? LOS ANGELFS, CALIFOBNIL.

' an'romr.

' Application liled May15, 1928. Serial No. 639,208. i

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, BENJAMIN H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at" Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Retorts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a retort for treatment of shale, ore, and the like, and is particularly adapted for use in connection with oil shale, and cinnabar or antimony ore.

It is the object of the invention to provide a retort wherein the material to be treated may be moved along supporting plates, which are arranged to elevate the material from a supply hop er and then move the material back an forth along successive superimposed plates in a heating chamber, the waste material being finally dropped onto a plate arranged for elevation and discharge thereof.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for moving the material along the supporting plates, comprising in-' dependent flexible conveyors received in corrugations extending the length of the plates, and adapted to be moved along said corrugations by being received over suitable.

rotary drive mechanism, the said conveyors havin replaceable abutment elements or lugs t ereon for engaging the material in the corrugations of the supporting plates, with said elements positioned relative to said corrugations so as to reduce friction to a minimum, and the rotary drive mechanism being arranged to engage the abutment elements so as to draw the conveyors along the corrugated plates, and also constructedso as to clean the conveyors of accumulated material as they pass over the drive mechanism.

The invention will be readily understood from the following description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a retort constructedin accordance with the invention. I

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the same.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation, partly broken away, of one of the conveyor chains and its drive mechanism.

Fig. 4.- is a transverse section on the line H of Fig. 3.

The improved retort consists of the chamber 10, having end walls 11 and 11.

At the respective ends of the chamber are formed de ending extension chambers 12 and 12*, w 'ch have their bases and sides extended beyond the end walls 1111, and terminate in transverse walls 13 and 13, the bases of said extension chambers being spaced below the lower ends of walls' Chambers 12-12 are intake and discharge chambers respectively, and at the intake end of the retort, the chamber 10 is provided at its top with a discharge pipe 14. A supply hopper 15 extends into chamber 12 between walls 11 and 13, and a discharge trough 16=is provided at the upper portign of the wall 13' of extension cham- The material to be treated is supplied through hopper 15 onto a plate 17 1n the chamber 12, the said plate being inclined upwardly belowend wall 11 to the'uppcr portion of chamber 10, where it merges by p a gradual curve into the uppermost of a series of horizontal plates 18, which are superimposed in vertical spaced relation and extend the length of chamber 10. 4

The material is adapted to be elevated by movement thereof upwardl along late 1 and is then moved bac and o t through chamber 10 along the plates 18, which are arranged to successively drop the material to the next lower plate at opposite ends of chamber 10.

From the lowermost plate 18 the material drops onto a plate 19 in chamber 12, said plate being inclined upwardly below end wall 11, from a point at the bottom of'the extension chamber to the discharge trough 16.

Liquid seals are maintained in chambers 12 and 12, the liquid standing at a height above the lower ends of walls 11-11 and above the discharge end of hopper 15, with the lower ends of plates 17 and 19 submerged in said liquid.

The material is heated for driving ofi the are employed, it being obvious however, that the number of plates may be increased or decreased as desired, in order to vary the accomplished by means of endless flexible conveyors shown as link chains. The various supporting plates are formed of parallel, preferably V-shaped corrugations extending the length of said plates, and the chain conveyors are adapted to run in the respective depressions of said corrugated plates.

The stretches of the endless chains coopcrating with the respective heating plates 18 are adapted to move in opposite directions, for moving the material back and forth along succeeding lower plates.

For this purpose, in the construction set forth, two sets of endless chains extend through chamber 10. One set of chains is received over rotary supports 26 positioned at the lower end of plate 17 and at the discharge end of uppermost plate 18, respec: tively. The upper stretch of the endless loops of this set of chains is received in the corrugations of plate 17 and in the corrugations of the uppermost plate 18, and the lower stretch of the loops, moving in the opposite direction, is received in the corrugations of the intermediate plate 18, and then extends over idler rotary supports 27 to form slack lengths of said chains below plate 17 v The other set of chains 25 is received over rotary supports 26 at the respective ends of the lowermost plate 18, the upper stretch of the loops moving idly beneath the intermediate plate 18, and the lower stretch of the loops being received in the corrugations of said lowermost plate, and moving in the opposite direction to the lower stretch of the first mentioned set of chains.

A- set of chains 28 cooperate with plate 19, and are received over rotary supports 29 at the respective ends of said plate, the upper stretch of the loops of the chains being received in the corrugations of the plates, with the lower stretcl of said loops running slack beneath the plate.

Movement of the sets of chains in directions to move the material through the retort as previously described. is accomplished by rotating the supports 26 and 29 in the desired directions. As an instance of this arrangement, the supports may be mounted on suitable drive shafts 30 extending through the sides-of the retort, with gearing 31 on said drive shafts adapted to be driven by any usual drive mechanism.

The chains 25 and 28 are provided with detachable lugs adapted to abut against the material in the corrugations of the plates for moving said material. For this purpose the chains are preferably formed of alternate vertical and horizontal links, and the abutment lugs consist of cooperating halfdiscs 32 having cooperating recesses 33 adapted to be received over the sides of the horizontally disposed links of the chains. The cooperating half-discs are removably fixed in position by bolts 34 received diametrically through the same, and the portions of said half-discs between recesses 33 are preferably cut away as shown at 35, to provide for play of the ends of adjacent vertical links of the chains.

The parts are so arranged that the circular abutment lugs received in the corrugations of the plates, will support the links of the chains out of contact with said plates in order to reduce friction, thesaid lugs engaging the plates at a single point upon eachside of the V-shaped corrugations.

The rotary supports 26 and 29 over which the chains are received, are usual discs 'hav ing peripheral grooves 36 adapted to receive the links of the chains and the abutment lugs, the base of said grooves being preferably recessed as shown at 37 in order to receive the lower sides of the vertical links of the chains.

Circumferentially spaced fins 38 are provided on the sides of grooves 36 and are arranged to engage the sides of the abutment lugs while permitting ,free passage of the chain links between the same, the abutment of said fins causing the conveyor chains to be moved as the rotary supports are turned.

It will be noted that the movement of the conveyors over the rotary supports, with the ion chains and lugs received in grooves 86 and the fins 38 engaging said lugs, will tend to free said conveyors of any accumulated material, and also prevent the deposit of such material inthe grooves of the rotary supports.

It will also be observed that the detachable arrangement of the abutment lugs, permits any desired spacing of the lugs along the conveyor chains, in order to. move the desired quantity of material.

It will be further noted that the movement of the material by conveyors running in corrugations of the heating plates, provides for all of the material remaining in said corrugations, so that the humps between adjacent corrugations are free of material and exposed to the interior of the chamber 10.

As a consequence a thorough heating of chamber 10 may be obtained, since the heat radiations from the humps of the corrugated plates are not insulated from the interior of the chamber by the moving material.

I claim:

1. The combination in a retort of a heatheating chamber, said heatingand supporting plates having parallel corrugations extending the lengths of said plates, and means for moving material along said corrugations upwardly along the first mentioned supporting plate, thence back and forth along succeeding lower heating plates in the heating chamber for final discharge onto the second mentioned supporting plate, and thence upwardly along said second supporting plate.

2. The combination in a retort of a heating chamber, an intake chamber depending from one end thereof, a supporting plate in said intake chamber inclined upwardly from the lower portion thereof and terminating in a heating plate in the upper portion of said heating chamber, a plurality of heating plates in said heating chamber below said'first heating plate in vertically spaced superimposed relation, said heating and supporting plates having parallel corrugations extending the lengths of sald plates, and means for moving material along said corrugations upwardly along said so porting plate and thence back and forth a ong succeeding lower heating plates in the heating chamber for final discharge therefrom. I

3. The combination in a retort of a heating chamber, intake and discharge chambers depending from the respective ends of said heating chamber, a supporting late in said intake chamber inclined upwar ly from the lower portion'thereof and terminating in a heating plate in the upper portion of said heating chamber, a plurality of heating plates in said heating chamber in vertically spaced superimposed relation below said first heating plate, a supporting plate in the discharge chamber inclined upwardly from a point below the end of said heating chamher, said heating and supporting plates having parallel corrugations extending the lengths of said plates, and endless conveyors received in the corrugations of the plates and arranged to move material upwardly along the first mentioned supporting plate, thence back and forth along succeeding lower ones' of said heating plates for final and thence upwardly along said second supporting plate.

4. The combination in aretort of a heating plate having parallel corrugations extendlng the length of said plate, conveyors adapted to rmove' along the respective 'corrugations of said plate, and abutment elements .on said conveyors adapted to move ranged so as to engage the sides of said corrugations at spaced points and support said conveyors out of contact with said corrugations.

5. The combination in a retort of a heating plate having parallel corrugations extending the length of said plate, conveyors adapted to'move along the respective corrugations of said plate, and abutment elements removably mounted on said conveyors and adapted to move therewith" along said corrugatlons.

6. The combination in a retort of a heating plate having parallel corrugations exdischarge onto the second supporting plate,

therewith along said corrugations and artending the length of said plate, conveyors adapted tomove alongvthe respective corrugations of said plate, and abutment elements detachably mounted on said conveyors and adapted to move therewith along said corrugations and arranged so asto enga e the sides of said, corrugations at spaced points and support Jsaid conveyors out of contact with said corrugations.

. 7 The combination in a retort of a heating late having parallel corrugations ex tending the length of said plate, link conveyors adapted to move along the respective corrugations of said plate, and abutment elements mounted on links of said conveyors and adapted to move therewith along said corrugations.

In-testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

BENJAMIN H. SMITH. 

